Into The Wild
Frightened and with no supplies between them, the borderlands Ranger, Guard of the Fenwater Marshes, and the Queen of the Elves hurried across fields and pasture.
They had avoided main roads and stayed hidden as much as possible in the undergrowth, so the Sycorax out on patrol wouldn’t spot them.
They reached the edge of a grove, to keep moving away from Meadow Hall they had to move south, but above them, in the sky, they could see the circling Sycorax.
A slow gliding patrol, their wings barely moving as they soared above them.
The companions huddled in the dark.
“We should stay here until nightfall.”
“No.” Cassian shook his head, but he didn’t even look at her, his eyes fixed on the Sycorax. “We must keep moving.”
Evaline raised her eyebrows at this startling disobedience, and looked to Koax, “What say you? What would you do if I were your Monarch?”
Koax looked from the Sycorax to Cassian, and then their dark black eyes fixed on her, “You are precious. You will be searched for. We must get far from here.”
Evaline raised her arms in despair, “So we run to Vingeld.”
“Nay,” Cassian shook his head, he glanced at her but then turned back to the Sycorax it was slowly moving away but the slightest move and it would see them coming out of the grove. “The harbour will be overrun by now and if these beasts corner us at sea, well believe us, we would stand little chance.”
“Then where? If you think I intend to run forever you are mistaken-“
“No,” Cassian replied. Cassian and Koax exchanged a glance that she could see held some deeper communication.
She had supposed they were running scared, that despite his calm veneer he was fleeing without thought, but she saw that there was some deeper plan. “Where are we going?”
“Come on,” Cassian said suddenly, grabbing her hand against all protocol, they darted across the pasture. The ground was thick underfoot, it stuck to her boots. Keeping half an eye on the retreating Sycorax she slipped onto a knee, Koax and Cassian were there, scooping her up before she had fallen, and on they ran.
Evaline dare not look behind her although she knew her city burned, her hall was gone her people were to be ravaged by the enemy that she hardly knew at all, there was little that could be done to save them. Yet, even so, she felt as though she should have been with them she should have been amongst them
She should have perished with her people. Even if it meant there would have been no one left. Leaving them all to die as she had done made her wonder if she was truly a Queen at all.
They did not seek aid at the houses they passed and Evaline wondered how long before the stores of her people would be completely raided and her people would starve. She shook the thought from her mind.
“Where are we going?” She asked desperately.
“There is only one place we can go now,” Cassian replied, and she looked from him to the Fenner
They moved south so they couldn’t mean to go to the Fenwater Marshes and see help within those lands. “Where?” She asked.
Cassian and his friend looked to one another.
The dark the forest of dead trees loomed in front of them. “The Weald Wood,” Cassian replied.